JVF sponsored three places at the LSE Women Entrepreneur Retreat in August 2023, which hosted 16 female founders for two days of educational events and peer mentorship.
The retreat was hosted by elleSE - the Female Founder Programme through Generate, the home for entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics.
Kajal Sanghrajka, former business partner and friend of Jess, served as JVF’s representative and hosted a fireside chat following her journey in entrepreneurship. As a continuation of this partnership, JVF sponsors a panel for the retreat members as well as the larger LSE female founder community to dig deeper on topics introduced during the offsite.
Jess was a mentor for LSE’s Generate Accelerator in 2020.
2023 Grantees
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Julie Rufo
2023
Julie Rufo is currently a Senior Research Director at Gartner, where she leads studies that address the pressing strategic issues of Fortune 500 Global Chief Information Officers.
While she was sponsored by JVF, she was Co-founder and Chief Content Officer at Mumford Sole Partners, a research-driven community for C-level technology and transformation leaders. She has been researching and writing about digital transformation for over a decade and is regularly invited to speak at industry events on the topic.
Julie holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in neuroscience from Ursinus College. She is passionate about how our understanding of systems – biological, ecological, technological, social and economic systems – can help transform how business leaders think about and execute strategy. Outside of work, Julie enjoys playing the violin, listening to music and walking her two pit bulls.
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Henna Wang
2023
Henna Wang is a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and the founder of Gesso, a company specializing in curated audio tours worldwide. The app introduces listeners to a diverse range of self-guided audio adventures, from captivating moving plays to countercultural audio tours, allowing them to immerse themselves in the heartbeat of the city. As creators and publishers of site-specific audio content, Gesso celebrates the essence of 'place' and the individuals who have left their mark on it.
With a background in partnerships at the Cherie Blair Foundation, research roles at the Aspen Institute, and experiences at Sotheby's, Smithsonian, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Henna blends her love for cultures, art, and entrepreneurship.
Henna holds a MSc in Culture and Society from the London School of Economics. As a grateful grantee of the Jessica Vollman Foundation, Henna is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in business and culture.
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Lauren O'Donell
2023
Lauren O'Donnell is the founder of Oatsu. Oatsu makes it easy to enjoy a healthy breakfast on-the-go – they deliver freshly-prepared overnight oats to your door, are available in Holland & Barrett, and plan to launch in Co-op in 2024.
Oatsu recently raised £250,000 from 279 investors on Seedrs, surpassing their initial target by 250%.
Women Entrepreneur Retreat
